Professional Malpractice

As a professional in any field you are bound by specific laws that determine the manner in which you ought to conduct yourself in accordance with the rules and laws of a specific professional body. More often than not the spotlight is shone on medical professionals as causing medical malpractice. This article will discuss professional malpractice and some of the common forms of malpractice it entails.

 

In professional malpractice, the word malpractice may sound familiar, however, another term for professional malpractice is professional negligence. Basically, professional malpractice can be defined as any behavior carried out by a professional when undertaking their duties that is determined to be negligent or incompetent. Put simply, professional malpractice is when a professional fails to do their job in accordance with a specific standard that is expected of a professional in that field. If you believe that you are a victim of professional malpractice contact a North Bay civil lawyer today for legal advice and representation.

While the terms malpractice and negligence are used interchangeably it is important to note that malpractice is actually seen as it been a type of negligence. Malpractice is a breach of a level of standard while negligence is where the standard is not upheld as a result of a failure to act or inadequate care or skill by the professional.

 

There are a number of different types of professional malpractice, however, there are three main forms that are common. These are:

 

  • Legal malpractice – this happens when a lawyer causes monetary loss or has a negative legal outcome on behalf of their client. As noted by the term malpractice or negligence, the cause would be as a result of the lawyer’s disregard, omission, or error in respect of the legal justice system process. A simple example of legal malpractice is whereby a lawyer fails to file required documentation or fails to show up for court when an appearance is necessary.
  • Medical malpractice – while legal malpractice may lead to incarceration or monetary loss for a client, medical malpractice can have extremely harmful consequences for the patient involved. Medical malpractice is whereby a medical professional fails to provide the necessary level of standard of care that is expected of the professional. Because of the serious nature of medical malpractice it is of the utmost importance to call a North Bay corporate lawyerfor legal advice when dealing with such cases. Medical malpractice may be a result of an error, improper conduct or omission on the part of the health care provider that results in the patient’s suffering, pain, loss of income or disability. While medical malpractice is often related to doctors it is not limited to them but includes any healthcare providers such as surgeons, nurses, anesthetists, etc.

Engineering malpractice – this often happens when an architect, building contractor or engineer fails to comply with the standards that are set out in the industry when their work is complete. For example, where a building fails to meet the expected standard of structural integrity for its use, this could rise to the level of malpractice.

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